School Accommodation
Dail Éireann — 2025-12-11
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Michael Moynihan (FF), Cork North-West

I am pleased to assure the House that there are more than sufficient places for all local children in the area referred to by the Deputy. While primary enrolments have been declining in the area since 2018, 16% of first year places at post-primary schools went unfilled for the last school year. This reflects an overall decline in post-primary enrolments for the area since 2023 and the fact that there are more first year places available than sixth class students in the area for the forthcoming school year. Enrolment pressures in an area may not always relate to capacity. They may instead relate to school choice and external draw factors. The Department’s responsibility is to ensure that schools in an area can collectively cater for local demand.
Under the national development plan, the Department of education has invested over €6 billion in our schools throughout the country, including in the area referred to by the Deputy, since 2020. This involves the completion of over 1,300 school building projects. There are four projects planned at post-primary schools in the area, including a large-scale major project which is at construction and which will cater for over 1,000 pupils. This will provide good additional capacity relative to the school’s current enrolment. This investment will ensure that all pupils will continue to have access to an appropriate education place.
Delivery of school building projects is underpinned by strong forward planning processes. Robust demographic analysis takes account of various data sources, including the census, child benefit data and school enrolments, and additional factors including planned residential development in each area. Furthermore, as with other areas, the Department will continue to liaise with the local authority in respect of its county development plan with a view to identifying any potential evolving long-term school accommodation requirements.

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Record URI: https://data.oireachtas.ie/akn/ie/debateRecord/dail/2025-12-11/debate/main
Retrieved: 2026-08-27T06:54:48+00:00
Sitting date: 2025-12-11